Sometimes, all you can do is lift your fists and fight.  Your Major Spoilers review of Daredevil #20 from Marvel Comics awaits!

DAREDEVIL #20

Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Marco Checchetto
Colorist: Mattia Iacono
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Editor: Devin Lewis
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 10, 2020

Previously in Daredevil:  The streets of Hell’s Kitchen are burning as all hell breaks loose.  In the chaos, Matt must discover what it means to be Daredevil…

IT STARTS WITH A PHONE CALL

This issue begins with a phone call for help, a woman who couldn’t get through to 911 or the fire department, and instead called the tip line of the Daily Bugle.  Ben Urich can’t believe her claims, especially given that whomever might be behind what she’s describing would have to be able to control or shut down most of the city.  Cut to Hell’s Kitchen where there are indeed fires, destruction and hordes of assassins and mercenaries in the streets, destroying everything they can, facing down with a horde of people in Daredevil masks.  Fortunately, one of them is Matt Murdock himself, forced to deal with some of his worst foes.  Even Stilt-Man makes an appearance, dropping bombs on buildings and being frighteningly effective, but fortunately Daredevil is joined by…  Typhoid and the Kingpin.  So, really, less “help” and more “people who will easily kill him if he’s not careful, but share a narrow goal with him if he can stay alive against Bullseye, Bullet, Rhino and The Owl.  After months, Matt Murdock finally fully embraces being Daredevil…

…and then surrenders to the authorities, since he’s wanted for murder.

“YOU’RE DAREDEVIL BECAUSE SOMEONE HAS TO BE…”

I sometimes get static for not liking Frank Miller-style Daredevil, but that’s absolutely not the whole truth: Frank Miller-style Daredevil is a part of the past, and Zdarsky deftly manages to use the character and his supporting cast to the fullest, while giving us something new.  This issue’s DD is pretty amazing, outgunned by guys who have given the much more powerful Spider-Man a hard time, he holds his own with just his billy clubs and his wits.  There’s even a moment where he saves Rhino’s life, reminding us that some heroes aren’t okay with killing for the sake of it, which I appreciate.  Perhaps the best part of the issue, though, comes as Daredevil and Mayor Fisk stand back to back, surrounded by The Owl’s gang, ready to battle for what they believe in and/or think they own.  It’s powerful, made even moreso by the following head-to-head with Bullseye.  Chechetto’s depiction of Daredevil’s radar sense isn’t a new take, but it’s incredibly cool nonetheless, using the echolocation effects that I first remember from Chris Samnee and making for a truly impressive sequence of pages.

BOTTOM LINE: A BIG, BRUTAL ISSUE WITH A KILLER ENDING

In short, Daredevil #20 is Daredevil done very right, with a complex story, a satisfying big battle, some surprising players on the field and an ending that feels both shocking and appropriate, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars overall.  If you haven’t been following this comic, you might be surprised to hear that Stilt-Man is terrifying in it, proving how much these creators have on the ball when it comes to the Protector of Hell’s Kitchen.

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DAREDEVIL #20

90%

90%

Highly<p> Recommended

This issue is worth it to see Daredevil and Kingpin fighting back to back, but there's something cool on nearly every page, with strong art and a tense story.

• Writing

  9
• Art

  9
• Coloring

  9
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